Emergency-brake mechanism



March 15, 1927.

` 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 C REBER EMERGENCY BRAKEV MECHANISM Flled March 20, 1926 March 15, 1927.

C. REBER EMERGENCY BRAKE MECHANISM Filed March 20. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lMarch 15, 19217.

C. REBER EMERGENCY BRAKE MECHANISM Filed March 20, 19726l ifm 3 Sheets-Sheet :5

Patented lVIar.v 1'5,y 19,27.

ACHRISTIAN REBER, or vLINCOLN PARK, MiGHiGAN.

Ei/innenncY-Bnairn Meenemen. f

Application fiiediiarcii gained sei-nina 96,272; y

This invention relates to certain iiiipro've` ments in emergency VVbrake mechanisms and of this kind especially .designed and adapted for use in connection with motor driven vehicles, and it is an object of th-e invention to provide a mechanism of this kind coni-l prisiiig shoes 4normally maintained in yan inoperative position but each, upon release, being adapted to coactwith a drive wheel to provide an effective braking action.

QAnoth-er object of the invention is to vprop vide a` mechanism of. this kind comprising shoes normally maintained in an inoperative position, together with means whereby said' shoes may be released one .independently of the other for braking action upon a drive wheel or released in unison when the requirements of practice may so necessitate. i V The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement ofthe severalparts of my im proved emergency brak-e mechanism whereby certain important advantages are attained and the device rendered simpler, less Y expensive and otherwise more convenient and advantageous for use, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth. v i Thenovel features of my invention will hereinafter be definitely claimed. e A' In order thatl my invention may be the better understood, l will now proceed to describe the saine with refernce to the ace companying drawings, 'whereiiizv Figure l is a View in side elevation andlof somewhat .adiagrammatic character illustrating an emergency brake mechanism constructed in accordance with an embodiment of my invent-ion,the coacting vehicle being idicated by broken lines; 1

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in rear elevation of a portion of tli-e mechanism as herein disclosed, an adjacent rear axle of the vvehicle `being indicated by broken lines;

Y Figure 3 is a view in elevation of one ofV the brace members hereinv .disclosed to cause a block to'lock positively inv one position;

Figure 4 is a view in top plan fof one ofthebrake shoes .as hereinemployed;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the shoef as illustrated in Figure 24;; l Figure 6V is a sectionalview Vtaken substantially on the line 6-6 .of Figur-e 4;

Figure 7 is a view in top plan of somewhat a diagrammatic character illustrating l n y Y `the mechanism as herein embodied; has relation more particularly to a device Figure v13 isa View in end elevation of e the structure illustrated in' Figure 12;

VFigure liis a fragmentary vertical sec- `,tional view Vof the locking blocks herein disclosed and in releaseposition; .Y Figure l5 is ya view similar'to Figure 14 but 'showing the blocks inl locking position;

Figure 1.6 is a sectional view taken' substant-ially on the line 16-16 of Figure 15. M disclosed in the. accompanying drawings, the sidemembers l ofthe frame of Y kthe vehicle have dependingY therefrom at spaced pointsthereon lthe arms 2l which pro-` vide supports for the spaced tracks 3. These tracks 3 have riding thereon the rollers 4 operatively supported by an end portion of what maybe termed a pull rod 5. The inner end portionof this rod15 telescopes within atubular member 6 supported by the tracks 3.l Arranged within this member 6v is' a spring v7'ofVv requisite tension and operatesv to absorbthe strain or shock which would otherwise be liable to occur aboutthe time the rod 5 Vreaches thev limit of itsmovement inwardly ofthe tubular member 6.

' The outerend port-ion of this'rod- 51 has depending therefrom a web or flange 8 withY which is pivotally connected; asv at 9,"a fork l0 carried by anend portion of anfelongated rodll. `The rodlll isy Vangularly `disposed y with respect tothe fork l0 and extends 'out-I wardly with respect to the vehicle frame and terminates in an `angular .extension l2 pivotally connected, as at 14, with the forward end'portion of a brake lshoe S. fThe upper surface of this shoe S is of a' configioo uration to snugly receive thel low-er; tread Y materially increase the braking yefliciency ofV stantially ver this shoe S is positioned between the low point y of such tire and th-e surface upon which the vehicle may be traveling,

' Extending outwardly from the under surface of the .shoe S are the calks which provide means whereby the shoe will eff-ectiv-ely grip the road surface and thereby the shoe. The callzs 15, as herein disclosed, are` threaded through the shoe from above and these calks maybe separately removed andreplaced as the occasions of practice may. require. e

In practice, it is preferred that the .extension 12 of each of the rods 11 be arranged substantially in parallelism with a side member 1 of the vehicle fra-me although, of course, this may be varied as desired.

The inner side of the shoe S at a point in closey proximity to the forward end thereof has in swiveled connection. therewith, as at 16, an end portion of an upwardly and inwardly inclined rod 17 terminating at its upper end in an angular extension 18. This extension 18 is provided at its outer or free extremity with a cross head 19 which, when the shoe S is in its full raised position, as indicated by broken lines in Figure 1, is sub- Y ically disposed, as illustrated in Figure 14:. vWhen in its vertical position the head 19 is substantially confined in the recesses 20 provided in the opposed faces of the transversely aligned blocks 21, said blocks21 being constantly urged one toward the other `by the retractile springs 22 connecting the upper and lower portionsbf the blocksv 21. Each of these springs 22 is substantially housed within the transversely aligned grooves 23. provided in either the upper or lower faces ofthe blocks 21.

These blocks 211 are arranged within a housing H depending fro-m a cross member 24 connecting, the side members 1 of the vehicle frame at a point above but slightly in advance of the rear aXle housing 25 of the vehicle. The outer face 26 of each of the housings H provided with a vertically disposed elongated slot 27r through which the extension 18 of the adjacent rod 17 is freely disposed" thereby permitting` proper` positioning of the head 19 carried by said eX- tension.. The'lower end of each of the housings Hv is initially constructed open as is alsoL the lower end of the slot 27, thus permitting the proper Yassembly of the blocks 21 and: head V19 within the housing. After such assembly,thelower open end of each, of

vthe housings H is closed by an end portion 28 .oflv a brace member 29 extending upwardly and inwardly and suitably secured, as at 30, tothe-central portion of the member 24.

Tnterposed. between the extension 18 of eachof the rods 17 and the rear axle housing 25 is,A afbraceinember B., the upper end portion of' said' brace member being provided with the jaws 31 receiving therebetween the extension 18 whilethe opposite or lower end portion of the member B is provided with the aws 32 straddling the axle housing 25 from above. This brace member B preferably comprises two separable duplicate sections'maintained in desired assembled relation by the bolts 33 or the like operatively engaged with the intermediate portions thereof.

The brace members B, when the blocks 21 are in their release position, as illustrated in .Figure 1/1, serve to lhold said blocks7 through the instrumentality of kthe head 19 against downward movement. Each of the slots27 is of a length to readily permit relative movement between the vehicle frame and the rear axle housing in accordance with the variance of the vehicle load or such relative movement incidentto travel.y

Vlien the head 19 is in its normal or substantially vertical position the blocks 21 are free from the associated housing H but when said blocks 21 are moved outwardly as a result of turning movement of the head 19, as indicated in Figure 15, the upwardly facing ratchet teeth 34 provided on the outer faces of the blocks 21 will interlock with the downwardly facing ratchet teeth 35 provided on the inner faces of the adjacent walls of the housing H thereby effectively locking the" blocks and housing against relative movement in one direction. The head 19 is turned from its vertical position, as illustrated in Figure 14, to a substantially horizontal position, as illustrated in Figure 15, when a shoe S is released for engagement beneath the tire T of` ai wheel. As the shoe drops downwardly, the head v19 is rotated and when the shoe S is properly positioned beneath a wheel, the blocks 21 are effectively interlocked with the associated housing H whereby side strain on the coacting wheel is effectively taken up as might be caused by y swerving or skidding.

As the shoe swings downwardly into braking position, the pull rod 5 moves inwardly of the tubular member 6. This relative movement between the rod 5 and the tubular member 6 assures the shoe S having downward swinging movement in the requisite path of travel to bring the same into proper position with respect to the coacting wheel. After the shoe initially comes into engagement with the wheel, the continued advance of the vehicle will cause the wheel to ride thereon thus assurinc' an effective emer- 7 t? rgency brake.

To assure the desired downward movement of each of the shoes l interpose between and secure to each of the rods 17 and the lower portion ofthe adjacent bracket B Va retractile coil spring 36. VEach. of the springs 36 is connected to a rod 17 through the niedium' of' a member V37 clamped to V,such rod 1,621,431 i i y v. 8f

andalsoconnected to vthis member 37 is an 'pend portion of a flexible member 38. l This member 38- engages suitably positioned'guide pulleys 39 and extendsupwardly of the steering gear column C and connected to a block 40. This blockV 40 is fieelymounted within a tubular member 4l having its'opposite end portions suitably affixed to the cross blocks 42, said blocks 42 being anchored, as at 43, to the steering column C. y The block 40 is provided with` an outwardly disposed arm 44 which projects through theslot 45 produced in av wall of the tubular member 41 andextendingrlengthwisethereof,

'lVhen Vthe. shoe S operatively connected with a block 40 is in its raised or inoperative position, said block is positoned at the upper porton of the tubular member 4l and is engaged from -below by the upper end portion of a holding lever 46.V The adjacent portion of the wall ofthe member 4l is yprovided A with anjopening 47 to permit said end portion of the lever 46 to enter the 'member 41.` When the lever 46 `isso engaged with a block 40, vthe shoe S is maintained against downward movement but immediately acts when ythe lever 46 is freed from said blocky 40.

The lever4 46 is pivotally connected at a desired point intermediate its ends, as at 48,' with the tubular member 41, the portion of the lever 46 below its pivotal mounting 48 extending within a kerf 49 produced in Aan end portion of a releasing block 50.

V tremities of the levers 46. As the block 50 `The block 50, as is clearly illustrated in Figure 9 of the drawings, is interposed be-` tween the low'er'portions of both ofthe levers 46 and held thereby, said portions being effectively maintained within the kerfs 49 by the retractile member or spring ,'51 interposed between andconnected to tlielower eX- is vmoved downwardly, both of the blocks 40 will be released at substantially the same time permitting both of the shoes S to fall into working position but, when it is desired to release only one of the shoes, the block 50 is moved endwi'se toward one of the levers 46 holding such shoe in 'its rjaised position. This movement of the block 50 is permitted without 'any action or effect upon the second lever due to the fact that each of the kerfs 49'is open. 1 The use of a single shoe is particularly required when it is desiredto prevent skidding of the. car and especially when making a turn.

The upper surface of the block 50 is provided thereacross with 'a transversely disposed groove 52 in which is received the inner portion of an operating handle or lever 'laterally inv either direction lin accordance drops into working position. Y The arm 44 carried by the block 40V provides means whereby the same may be readily drawn upwardly of the member 4lvbut, inv practice, each of Vthe shoes S is manually returned to its raised or inoperative position by direct lifting ofthe shoe.V l n It is to be noted that when one of the shoes S is in working position with respect to a wheel, the travel of thevehicle is partially bralred but when both of the shoesjare in working position, the vehicle is effectively brought to a stop regardless of all of the operating conditions. VVheneither or both of the brake Vshoes S are applied the strain isv thrown upon'the chassis of the vehicle and when it is desiredto release theshoes after the vehicle lhas' stopped, it is only necessary to reverse thevehicle; l

1F rom the foregoing description 'it is thought to be obvious that an emergency VVbrake mechanism'constructed in accordance with'iny invention .is particularly well adapted for use by reason' of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operatecl,and it will also be obvio-us that my invention is susceptible -of some change and modification without departing from the principles and spirit thereof and for this reason I do not wish to be understood aslimiting myself 'to the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts herein shown in carrying out my invention in practice eX- cept as hereinafter claimed.

I claim y A l. The combination with vertically movable'supports arranged near the wheels of a vehicle, of a shoe carried byv each of the supports and adapted yto be movedabeneath a wheel, means for normally maintaining the shoes in an' inoperative position, and a single meansoperating to release the shoes in uni-v son or to singly release .any one of the shoes( 2. The combination with the chassis ofra vehicle and a supporting wheel therefor, of

`vehicle and a supporting wheel therefor, of a housing carried by said chassis, a rod having an end portion extending within said housing and having vertical 4swinging movement,

' a housing carried by said chassis, a rod hav a shoe: connected tothe opposite'end portion of the rod and adapted to move beneath the wheel, blocks within thehousing normally free of sliding-'movement therein, and means carried by the rod coasting with the blocks toloclrthe blocksto the housingto hold the shoe against upward movement when engagedibeneath the wheel.

4. rIhe combination with the chassis` of a vehicle, and a supporting wheel therefor, ofV

'to holdv the shoe against upward movement whenengagedbeneath the wheel, a. wall of the housing'being provided with a vertically disposed slot'through which the rod extends.

5. rlhe combination with the chassis of a vehicle and a supporting wheel therefor, of a housing carried by said chassis, a rod having an end' portion extending within said housing andvhaving vertical swinging movement, a shoe connected to the opposite end portion of therod and adapted to move beneath the wheel, blocks within the housing normally free of sliding movement therein, means carried by the rod eoactingw-ith the blocks to lock the blocks to the housing to hold the shoe against upward movement when engaged beneath Vthe wheel, and a mounting for the rod arranged exteriorly of the housing.

6. The combinationV with the chassis of a vehicle and a supporting wheel therefor, of a housing carried by said chassis, a rod having an end portion extending Within said housing and having vertical swinging movement, a shoe connected to the opposite end portion of tne rod and adapted to move beneath the wheel, blocks within thehousing normally freel of sliding movement therein, means carried by the rod coacting with the blocks to lock the blocks 'to the housing to hold thev shoe against upward movement when engaged beneath the wheel, and spring means engaged with the rod to impart movement to the shoe into working position with respectto the wheel.V

7.; The combination with a vehicle chassis and asupporting wheel therefor, of a sliding member supported by the chassis formovenient in a directiontoward--` said.Y supporting; wheel, a vertically movablesupport arranggged.y

nearthe wheel, a shoe carried-bysaid-sup. 60

port and adapted to-:be moved beneath the.- Wheel, a rod interposed between and-pivote ally connected with the sliding: member: and. the shoe, means for holding the shoe inia-nVv inoperative position, meansforreleasing said shoe, and a tubular member into whichi the sliding member extends.L

' 8. The combination f with a vehicle chassis; and a supportingwheel therefor, of a sliding;y

member supported by the chassis for move.- vment 1n a directiontowardvsaid-supporting.

wheel, a-vertica-lly movable support arranged near; the wheel,v shoe Carried bysaid-'support and' adapted to be moved beneath' the.

wheel,l a rod interposedfbetween and pivot.-h

ally connected with the-sliding member and 1 the shoe, means for holding the-shoe-in aninoperative position, means fors releasingL said shoe, a tubular member int-o which theV sliding member extends, and. cushioningl 80 means within thev tubular'member for coe action with thev sliding member.y when the same move-s inwardlyv of the'tubular member..

V9. In combination with a vehicle-Chassis,

supporting wheels therefor, vertiea/lly movguideways, an` operative connec-tionibetween.

each of the blocks and one of' the shoes whereby said shoe isheldin airaised position when the block isV in oneV position with respect to its guideway, an-dalatch'fon holding each of the blocks ink such upperr posi-` tion.

l0. ln combinationfwith aY vehicle chassis,y supporting,'.wheels therefor, vertically movable members supported byv the. chassis, shoesl carried by said members and adaptedf to have movement beneath the-wheels, guideways carried'by the chassis,b1oeksmovable:

insaid guideways, an operative oonnectlon between each of the blocksland one; ofthe;

shoes whereby said; shoe is held in a. raised'F 105V position when the; block isin-one position with respect to its` guideway, a latchfor. holdingv each` of thebloeks-.insuoh upper position', and means-.coactingwith thelatches selectivelyv operating toHrelease-the latchesin, 110 unison'or one independently'ofthe other.

ln testimony whereof hereuntoafiixmy signature.

CHRSTIAN BEBE-1R.A 

